


Love is...

by Iron_Angel



Series: Beer and Benefits [7]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fluff-uary 2020, Ghoul Sex, Married Couple, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, welcome to rare pair hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 14:34:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22497664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iron_Angel/pseuds/Iron_Angel
Summary: More stories from theBeer and Benefitsseries, based on prompts (see chapter notes) from theFLUFF-uarycreation challenge by Crackinglamb and myself.Chapter 1: SymbolsChapter 2: Of Handbooks and HobbitsChapter 3: Carry the WorldChapter 4: DownburstChapter 5: Lucky
Relationships: Edward Deegan/Female Sole Survivor, Edward Deegan/Sole Survivor
Series: Beer and Benefits [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/786981
Comments: 55
Kudos: 79





	1. Symbols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts #14 - _first 'I love you'_ and #6 - _gifts_

_"I hate waking up without you. I don't want to do it anymore. Nora... I love you. I love you, and I want to always be next to you."_

_He pulled back to see her jewel-blue eyes had gone incredibly wide._

_"A-are you asking me to...?" she stammered, sounding hopeful in spite of herself._

_He moved his hand down to take hers, lacing their fingers together. "Yes, I am. If you'll have me...?"_

_"Oh my darling..." she breathed, eyes filling with happy tears. "Absolutely yes!"_

A ring wasn't necessary. Society and all its laws had collapsed in on itself over two centuries ago. There was no need for anything formal to prove or make marriage official in the wastelands. The partners' promise to each other was enough. And honestly, he felt that that was even better than any pre-war traditions.

Still...

Deegan picked up the least dented looking ring from the small box of jewelry Daisy had set before him on the counter. Like the rest, it was just a plain band with no stone setting. Silver, he guessed, even though it was almost pure black with tarnish. He slipped it over his pinkie and back off again with ease; it would be a little big on her, but better too large than too small. And it would take some work to polish it, _if_ he could find any polish, that is.

He turned it over in his palm, considering. 

"Toothpaste," Daisy said, unprompted.

He blinked up at her. "Beg pardon?"

She pointed at the ring. "A dab of toothpaste and rub it with a soft cloth," she elaborated. "A little effort and a lot of patience, and it'll shine bright as before the bombs fell." She leaned over to prop on her elbows. "You're so delightfully old-fashioned. You know you don't need that, right? You asked her and she said yes. You two are hitched, as far as the Commonwealth's concerned." She grinned. "Lucky girl."

Ghouls don't blush, but Deegan could have sworn what was left of his ears were burning. "And how would you know about that?"

She let out a cackle. "Gossip travels fast, and none are faster than Holly."

He tried not to roll his eyes. Of course it would be the overly-friendly, Emogene-esque ghoul woman from The Slog. At least she didn't take his rejections personally, he supposed.

"Nora's a special case," he said, turning his attention to the ring again. "She's pre-war, just like we are. I want to give her something... Something familiar. Tangible." 

He was decided. 

He closed his hand around it, looking up at Daisy's understanding smile.

She put the jewelry box back under her counter and turned to her till. "Delightfully old-fashioned," she repeated. "I fully expect an invitation to the wedding, mister."

~

"When Garvey said Jamaica Plain had called for assistance, I didn't think it'd be to clear out an entire super mutant stronghold," Valentine grumbled as Nora popped the hatch of her power armor and all but tumbled out. He stepped closer, reaching out to steady her. "How are you holding up, doll?"

She was shaking pretty badly, but she waved him off. Then she bent with her hands on her knees, gasping as the smell of decay and the adrenaline letdown hit her. 

Three Suiciders? Really?! Not to mention the hounds, which came close to terrifying her even more.

Preston was definitely going to get one hell of a talking to later.

When she finally caught her breath and pulled herself together again, she drew up her Pip-boy and clicked the knob a few times. "Looks like we got them all, at least. But why so many?"

"I'd wager it's because there's not many buildings this large outside of Boston proper." He looked upward. "At least not with ceilings this tall, even here on the basement level. You think about it, Fallon's is the perfect space for those oversized brutes."

Stepping around a super mutant corpse, she finally got a good look at her surroundings. "I didn't even notice where we were." Outrunning Suiciders tended to make paying attention to certain details difficult. "Isn't this the jewelry department Eddie Winter and his crew pulled that diamond heist?"

"Yeah. At the time, I questioned his wisdom for pulling it off in a joint with only one exit." He motioned to the inoperable escalator. "I guess he felt pretty confident with the Feds in his back pocket, if it didn't work. At least he'd walk free. What's the loss of a few loyal minions to a guy like him."

His tone turned bitter, and Nora put a hand on his arm. He turned his gaze to her. "You got him in the end," she reminded.

"Thanks to you, partner." He smiled, covering her hand with his ruined one.

She pretended not to notice it faltering at the click of metal on metal as he knocked against the silver band on her ring finger. Just like she'd pretended not to see the way his mouth had turned down and he'd ducked his head when he first noticed and asked about it months ago. 

Things could have been very different between them at one time, had _he_ not let the fact he was a synth stand in the way. She'd tried and failed, so she moved on; her life was too short for her to wait.

And Deegan made her so very happy.

She let her hand slide out from under his as she turned towards the half smashed display cases. Most likely the work of raiders, since super mutants had no use for things like jewelry and pocket watches. Her own detective instincts guessed that the super mutants had probably attacked mid-plunder, as there was so much left in them.

Free housing _and_ free lunch? What more could a super mutant want?

Okay, she grossed herself out with that one.

Forcing herself to ignore scattered, half-gnawed bones, she picked through the glass of one case. Picking up a watch with a smashed face, she called to Valentine now looting ammunition out of a rifle, "Help me find more of these? I need the gold for upgrading capacitors."

"So we're going to rob the store, too?" he chuckled. "Winter would love the irony."

"Silver would also be good. You can leave the diamonds."

He gave a hearty laugh, and they split up to search opposite sides of the large showroom.

Poor lighting and being loathe to touch any biological matter, as well as stopping to pay respects to the unfortunate woman locked in the hidden vault, made the search slow. Still, Valentine had already circled the room once and was back to collecting bullets when Nora had picked the lock on the last safe.

"Find anything useful?" he called, as she opened it to discover a tray of rings, neatly wedged in a foam display.

"It's a shame there's not a way to build some kind of cutting tool with all these gems," she replied, picking the simpler bands and solitaires out and putting them in a belt pouch. The ones with the baguettes would be more effort than they were worth to get to the metal and virtually useless as laser components.

"You could just enjoy them for the sake of beauty, you know."

She shook her head. "That'd be asking for trouble. Plus it really isn't worth the effort to haul back stuff I can't use."

Coming to the last row, she paused as she noticed one of the plain silver bands was noticeably larger than the rest. Whoever custom ordered it must have had huge hands.

She wondered...

She picked it up and slid it over her thumb. 

It was still loose.

Valentine cast around, making sure he hadn't overlooked anything. "I think that pretty much cleans this place out."

She shot a quick glance at him -- he would know, and she didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable for him -- and unzipped her suit just low enough to tuck the ring into her bra, hastily zipping it back up.

Adding the last couple of rings to her pouch, she slid the tray into the safe and closed it back. "All right, then. I guess we should head to Jamaica Plain to give them the all clear before we head back to the Castle," she said, moving to climb back into her power armor.

A thrill of excitement shot through her as the closing hatch pinned her snugly to the forward chestplate, lightly pressing the ring into her breast.

She couldn't wait to get back home to her husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There _might_ be a wedding fic in the works...


	2. Of Handbooks and Hobbits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts #2 - _acts of devotion_ and #25 - _snuggling_
> 
> This one might be my favorite so far...

He wasn't cold; ghouls don't get cold. Still, he was miserable.

The rain had caught him completely by surprise as he made the trek from Bunker Hill back to the House, loaded down with supplies. If he would have known the weather would turn so quickly, he would have sent Sebastian instead.

At least his pack was waterproof, keeping the foodstuffs safe. His road leathers wouldn't be so lucky, as old as they were. And of course, they'd be little better than raw hide when they dried again. He really didn't relish the chore of stretching them back out.

Worse than rain, rheumatism, and drenched clothes, this would mean Nora would be delayed coming home, too. She never minded the weather, but it always brought mirelurks up from the river. The Minutemen patrols kept troubles with the raider gangs and super mutants mostly under control nowadays, but nature was still nature.

As if to give proof to his musings, there was a distant flash of lightning and a clap of thunder.

A storm, then.

Damn, he just wanted to be home with his wife.

If there was any bright side to be had, it was that he made it home and inside before the rain really started coming down in sheets.

"Welcome home, sir! May I take your things?"

Deegan stifled a frustrated groan at the Mr. Handy as he unshouldered his pack to place it on the outstretched pincher arm. It was better than the biting impatience that the robot butler used to have, but Sebastian's bright and bubbly personality was starting to really grate on his nerves. He would have to ask Nora to maybe tone it down before she had to leave next time.

Opening the flap with a second arm as the third held out a towel, Sebastian cheerfully continued, "Ah, I see Sir managed to find some good produce this outing. Very fine looking carrots. Madam will be most pleased. I shall prepare these for dinner tonight."

Dropping his armor in a heap and taking the towel, Deegan gave a dismissive wave. "Don't bother. She won't be home tonight with this storm."

One eyestalk turned toward him, shutter half-closed, and Deegan could have sworn it was a look of smugness. "Oh, but you are incorrect, sir. Madam got home a little over an hour ago. She's relaxing upstairs."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" he demanded, incredulous.

Definitely smug. "You didn't ask, sir."

Grabbing the Mr. Handy by the dome and shaking him would have wasted time he could be upstairs already, so Deegan quelled the urge. He did, however, launch the used towel at him as he took the stairs up two at a time.

The door was ajar, but he gave a soft knock before pushing it open -- even here, wasteland instincts involved loaded guns on the bedside table. 

She was laying across the bed on her stomach, almost naked except for her panties, and propped up on her elbows with a thick book opened between them. She smiled as she looked up at him, a curl falling over her forehead with the motion.

The smile faltered as she got a good look at him. She glanced out the window as she pushed off the bed, seemingly only noticing the rain just then. "My poor darling," she said, voice soothing. She stepped quickly, detouring to the en-suite for another towel, before coming to wrap it around his shoulders.

He let her fuss; he liked the attention. "I was afraid you'd get caught out in this and not make it home tonight," he confessed, bending slightly so she could pull his cap off. That it gave him a very nice view of her bare chest was a happy coincidence.

"I saw it coming on the horizon and knew I should leave early to race it home." She opened his jacket and pushed it off, hands going to the hem of his undershirt. "As it was, I still got caught in a little of it. Not as much as you, though," she noted as she peeled the half-soaked garment off of him.

Free of it, he finally reached for her, pulling her up into a slow, deep kiss. She felt so nice against him, so soft and smooth. Any other time, he'd be carrying her back to the bed, but the ache of his old bones held him back from anything more.

She dropped down to flat feet, lightly pushing against his chest with both hands. Her look was knowing. "You'll feel better after a hot shower, darling." Because of course she knew.

"You've only just got back--" he started in protest.

"And I'll be right here when you get out." She bodily turned him and gave a gentle shove. "Go on."

Despite wanting to get it done and over with quickly, he didn't rush. She had been right, as always; the heat of the water alleviated the pain and stiffness in his joints. Ghoulism slowed aging, but two hundred and fifty years still took its toll on a body.

When he came back out of the en-suite, he found that she had moved positions to lay on her side of the bed, propped on both of their pillows against the headboard. The golden glow of the lamp across her skin made for an inviting picture as she continued to read from the large book.

And what was to stop him from accepting that invitation?

She went to close the book, but he shook his head. "No, don't let me interrupt you," he murmured as he climbed into the bed. He shifted lower so that he could lay with his head against her chest, comfortably tucked between her breasts, arms under her back and across her thighs. He was glad that they had removed the footboard when she'd moved in, saving his ankles -- and now his shins -- hanging off the end.

He let out a contented sigh, closing his eyes.

Then he smiled as she sighed as well. "I like this." She ran the back of her fingers of her free hand along his jaw.

He heard her turn a page. "So, what are you reading?"

" _American Electricians' Handbook, Thirty-first Edition_."

He snorted softly, remembering her complaints about one of her settlements' generators giving her problems. Admirable work ethic, but she needed to relax more. Those farmers had handled themselves well enough before the luxury of electrical power, and they would continue to handle themselves all right long enough for her to take a break.

He made a mental note to look around later for some of Emogene's novels to give to Nora. He seemed to remember seeing a copy of _The Hobbit_ on one of the bookshelves downstairs, centuries old, but still in good shape.

For now, he turned his head, eyes still closed, to kiss her stomach before snuggling in closer. "Sounds interesting. Read to me?"

She chuckled. "This? Really?"

"Please?" He didn't care what it was, he wanted to hear her voice.

It was just a bonus hearing the smile in it.

"Four hundred, sixty-one. Current-carrying capacities of flashers. Double-pole flashers are made in four sizes that will carry respectively fifteen, thirty, forty-five, or sixty amperes per switch. Single-pole carbon--"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excerpt from "American Electricians' Handbook, Sixteenth Edition" by Croft, Hartwell, and Summers.
> 
> Writing is hard, and encouragement helps.


	3. Carry the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts #5 - _banter_ and #24 _comfort after a rough day_

_Wiseman was right; she gives so much of herself_ , Deegan thought as Nora wobbled unsteadily as they made their way home again. He settled his assault rifle over his shoulder and took a quick step forward, catching her before she tripped over her own feet. _Too much._

The calls for assistance were less frequent these days, but she was still a Minuteman, still ready at a minute's notice. So when her second-in-command had radioed in the middle of the night that there had been a kidnapping, she was suited up and waiting for him at the door before Deegan could even get his boots on.

Somehow, the BADTFL Regional Office had slipped under both the Minutemen's and Bunker Hill's radars. Uncharacteristically, the new gang of raiders that moved in had stayed quiet and laid low until they'd entrenched themselves almost too deep to be rooted out. Chem addicts were still chem addicts, though, and the new refugee -- a former Institute scientist -- establishing a chem lab in Bunker Hill was too sweet of a prize to ignore.

In hindsight, they should have called for backup. They worked together so well, her with stealth when she could and him with sheer force and firepower when she couldn't, that it didn't occur to either of them to do so. Nor had it occurred to them that their rescuee would cause enough problems himself to throw Deegan's and Nora's well-choreographed battle routine completely off.

It had been a _very_ close call. In the end, Nora had put the fool in a sleeper hold, apologizing to both the unconscious man -- a wasted effort, even if he had been awake -- and to Deegan, who had to carry him out over his shoulders. She'd managed to get all three of them out alive, tearing through the gang like an avenging virago, but it was a lot of strain for her to use Deegan's much heavier rifle.

Normal combat exhaustion from the firefight coupled with the extreme late hour and subsequent adrenaline letdown already had her heels dragging by the time they'd returned to Bunker Hill. Now, even though they were merely a side street from home, she was ready to drop.

"Sometimes I forget you were never trained as a soldier," he said as he bent to scoop her up in his arms.

"I can walk," she huffed, though there was no way he could miss the yawn she was trying to stifle.

"Uh huh, I've seen newborn radstags stumble less." He shifted her, trying and failing to get a comfortable hold on her. Her 10mm was digging into his side. "Move your gun." As she unholstered it, he continued, "Protest all you want, sweetheart, but you know I'm going to do it anyway. I like taking care of you."

He turned the corner that brought them to the front entrance of Cabot House, and she said in mock accusation, "You have an obsession with carrying me."

Proof to her statement, he didn't set her down, but instead turned to use the toe of her boot to hit the button on the intercom. He gave her a smirk as she rolled her eyes. "You carry the world on your shoulders. It's only right someone should carry you occasionally, love, and I'll always want to be the one to do it."

"Welcome home, sir and madam!" Sebastian crowed as the robotic butler opened the door for them, tactfully 'distracting' Deegan's attention from the glitter of what might have been tears beginning to pool at the corner of her eyes. "May I take your things?"

Side-stepping the Mr. Handy, he said over his shoulder, "Come get them from the hall later," as he climbed the stairs.

"I'll never stop being amazed at a ghoul's strength," Nora chuckled as he carried her all the way up to the master bedroom, to the foot of the bed. "But now you _have_ to set me down."

"Reluctantly," he agreed, but didn't let her go right away. "Think you're going to want another shower?" She'd had one before they'd laid down for the night, before the call for help, but he'd oblige if she wanted another. 

He worked the buckles of her chest and arm guards loose, sliding them off and dropping them to the floor. She returned the 10mm to its holster before he removed the belt, wisely being more careful to lower it to the floor with the rest of the gear.

"Only if you think I need another one."

He reached up and began lowering the zipper of her vault suit, knowing she hadn't bothered with a bra in her haste to get to BADTFL. "You might in a few minutes," he growled, pushing the material off her shoulders and arms, stripping her bare to the waist. He nudged her to lay back flat on the bed, shucking his own armor and his leather jacket in record time before bending over her to press a kiss between her breasts.

"Really, Edward? Now?!" He didn't believe her feigned exasperated tone for one second.

Bracing on one hand, he moved up to kiss her lips before nibbling his way down her throat. "I couldn't just bend you over a desk while carrying the egghead, you know," he pointed out, gliding his free hand down her body. "Watching you, my strong, beautiful wife, with your hands wrapped around my rifle... Your legs splayed to compensate for the recoil..." His thoughts were getting away from him, and he pressed down with his palm, gentle but firm, at the still-clothed apex of her legs. "God, Nora..."

He knew the protective lining she'd upgraded her suit with ages ago dulled tactile sensations. She could feel pressure, but little else. He would rectify that.

Kneeling down at her feet, he struggled with the straps and laces of her leg guards and boots with some difficulty. Ever the mischievous one, she made him work for it by not helping him get her out of them at all.

When he finally got them off and rose to grab the top of the suit still bunched at her waist, he discovered why. 

She had fallen asleep.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, forcing his arousal to cool. Then he couldn't help but to let out a quiet laugh. That had been another yawn before, and not exasperation.

"All right, sweetheart... Maybe later, then."

She didn't even stir as he finished removing both of their clothes to place in the hall for Sebastian. Only when he came back to carefully lift her and place her in the bed properly did she move, and then only to snuggle into his chest as he pulled the covers back over them.

She really had to be exhausted.

 _She gives much too much of herself_ , he thought wistfully, wrapping his arms around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Referencing Chp. 10 of _Between Want and Need_ when Wiseman nudged Deegan into finally telling Nora how he felt.
> 
> FYI: Next chapter is going to be less fluffy, more smutty. You have been warned. ;)


	4. Downburst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #10 - _caught in the rain... er, radstorm_
> 
> Look, it's my prompt challenge; I can bend the rules a little bit if I wanna. ;)

_Deep breath. Count down from ten. Ten, nine, eight..._

Nora squeezed her eyes closed, listening to the crackle of lightning and the staticky thunder outside the Wicked Shipping tractor-trailer's cargo hold. The radstorm was picking up strength, and there was no way they'd be able to leave now.

Beside her, she could hear Deegan try to calm his own breathing, though she knew it couldn't be for the same reason.

She was grateful she'd asked him to come with her.

Aside from missing him like a physical ache when they were apart, she was also afraid her husband staying cooped up in the House any longer would start a war between him and his Mr. Handy, Sebastian. Two hundred and twenty-odd years of constant work and demands on his time to suddenly having nothing to do at all, he had started to get restless and irritable. He needed to get out more, and helping her with her duties as Minutemen General seemed like a perfect solution.

The decision turned out to be more beneficial than she could have predicted.

Deegan had felt the radstorm coming seconds before the sky showed even a hint of turning, or her Pip-boy's geiger counter made its first tick. On the road midway between Lexington and Starlight Drive-in, they were too far out to run for shelter. Thinking quick, he muttered a hasty apology, scooped her up, and threw her into the back of the nearest big rig before vaulting in behind her and slamming the door down.

Even though her General's uniform didn't offer the radiation protection that her vault suit did, she had escaped catching any rads thanks to him. 

Her claustrophobia, however...

_Count down from ten. Ten, nine, eight, seven--_

Lightning crackled again and Deegan took a sharp breath.

She opened her eyes, looking down at him from her perch on a weathered wooden crate. He was sitting with his back against the door, arms draped across his drawn up knees, and his head hung low. His hands flexed, and he took breaths in through his nose cavity and out through his mouth almost in a perfect mirror to her own calming tactics.

"Edward?" she whispered, and he let out a quiet groan.

Her sense of urgency had always been a surefire cure for her anxieties, and all her internal distress fell away as she hopped down to crouch in front of him.

"Edward, darling, what's wrong?" She reached out to touch him.

"Please, love, don't-- I can't..." he ground out, motioning to brush her hand away, but not touching her. 

His voice was ragged and strained, pulling at her heartstrings. Was he hurt? How? When? "Darling, please look at me," she begged. He shook his head. "Please..."

His hands clenched into fists, relaxed, and clenched again before he brought them up to clamp around the back of his own neck. Then he finally lifted his head, revealing that the red of his sclera had deepened to the color of fresh blood.

She swallowed hard, heart now in her throat.

And he knew she knew. 

The change, the calm, that came over him was alarming. "I can feel it burning through me, Nora..." he said, voice now low and even. "Even through the metal hull, I can feel the radiation like fire in my veins. I-I feel..." He shifted forward onto his hands and knees so quick it startled her into falling backwards. " _Energized_ ," he finished, now bracing over but still not touching her.

She ached with a complicated mix of trepidation and arousal, and she swallowed again. "Edward?" What was she even asking of him?

"I love hearing you say my name," and his voice lowered further to a growl deep in his chest. He bent low, coming mere inches from her ear, and breathed her in. "I want you. I want to be inside of you." His hand came to hover above her waist and the buckle of her belt, and suddenly she was yearning for him to please just touch her. "Nora, I want to fuck you so hard, you _scream_ my name."

Then he pushed up, hand going back to the floor. "No. Not in here. Not when you're--" He closed his eyes, bearing his teeth as he fought to regain some measure of control.

Another roll of thunder rattled the sides of the trailer, but all fear was gone in a blaze of desire for him.

"Make me forget it, then," she said, strong and resolute. 

His eyes snapped open, looking like two dots of gas flame against the richest red velvet. 

She gripped the edge of his chest armor, afraid he'd pull away further. "Please, Edward, touch me. Take me." She hooked her ankles behind his knees. "Make me scream."

Charged to a frenzy, he didn't stop to question. She scrambled to unbuckle and push her pants down as he yanked open his fly, freeing his fully engorged cock. He didn't give her time to remove more, pulling aside her panties with one hand as he guided himself into her with the other. Then he slid both under her ass to lift her up, forcing her to let out a whimpering moan.

The storm, or them, or maybe both, the world shook as she encouraged his savage pace, thrilling in the rough snap of his hips, his abandon. "Yes! God, yes!"

He changed the angle, pulling back enough to lift one of her legs over his shoulder, spreading her as wide as the fabric of her pants would allow as he bottomed out hard. "Fuck, Nora!"

She gasped, high and sharp, " _Ah_! Yes! Oh god, right there!"

The trailer creaked with his force, their armor squealed and screeched against each other, and she was so close.

"Come for me," he demanded, panting just as hard. His fingers dug into her thigh; he was barely holding himself back, determined to wait for her. "Love, please...!"

She could feel it, right at the edge, coiling tighter and tighter. So very close...

The lightning strike boomed in her ears like a blast of a shotgun, and Deegan lost control.

Holding her tight against him as he came, pulse after pulse of searing heat filling her, she fell with him, his name a rapture tumbling from her lips.

~

"The storm's passed," he murmured against her ear, though he made no move to stop kissing trails along all the sensitive points he could reach.

Just as she made no move to untangle herself from his arms, comfortable in the cage of his limbs even with his chest piece against her back and sitting on the hard metal floor. "I'm not ready to give up the afterglow yet," she sighed, continuing to trace her fingers along the new scuff on his leg armor. She smiled; it would be a reminder of today, lasting long after the bruises on her legs had faded.

"I'm perfectly content to stay just like this," he agreed, giving her a light love bite before pulling back,"but I know you don't do well with small spaces."

She blinked. She hadn't even thought about it in the past hour since... well, for obvious reasons. "It doesn't seem to bother me so much when I have you with me."

His arms tightened around her at that, and he buried his face into the back of her neck.

She sighed again, this time in resignation. "Still, I guess we should go before they send a search party."

He didn't move other than to begin pressing more kisses along her nape.

"...In another ten minutes."

_Maybe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A trope I feel like doesn't get used very often is a spouse still being very much in love and in _lust_ with their significant other. This is my answer to that. First smut I've written in nearly a year and a half, I feel very rusty and out of practice. Regardless, I hope y'all enjoyed it despite it being short. <3


	5. Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts #20 - _breakfast in bed_ , #11 - _heart-eyes or loving gaze_ , and #26 - _established relationship 'I love you’_
> 
> This is my second favorite of the collection, I think. Set many years later.

Deegan paused as he picked up the second egg from the basket, doing a double take and huffing a quiet laugh as he noticed the pair of yolks in the pan that had come from the first. It was an unusual occurrence with the chickens he'd helped his mother raise when he was a boy, and she'd always said they were lucky. He knew it was a silly superstition, even back then, but one that had delighted him for its rarity.

It didn't surprise him at all, though, when the second and third egg also produced double yolks. The rad chickens Nora had brought home from wherever she had been with the synth detective were very strange creatures; of course their eggs would be just as weird. At least they smelled better than a mirelurk's.

Leaving them to fry for a moment, he turned his attention to the toaster just in time for the bread to pop up. Lamenting the lack of butter as he placed the dry toast on the plate next to a couple slices of fried cram, he entertained the thought of mentioning acquiring a dairy brahmin. He had experience taking care of cattle in his youth, as well. And they had the space in what was once the front gardens of Cabot House.

 _What would Wilhelmina think if she knew her stately manor was destined to become a farm?_ he thought with only a little impish glee as he reached for the pan of eggs to add to the plate. The german shepherd that occasionally showed up to sleep in the foyer. The rad chickens in the pigeon loft on the roof. Now a brahmin in the roses.

A discussion to have later, he decided as he moved the now full plate over to the serving tray already set with silverware and a chilled can of purified water -- he didn't trust himself to balance a glass, too -- and picked it up by the handles.

Climbing the stairs to the third floor, he softened his steps as he approached the master bedroom, hoping to not wake his wife prematurely. Nora had come home exhausted from an emergency repair job at Sunshine Tidings that had taken much longer than anticipated. The super mutants that had attacked the settlement didn't make it passed the heavily reinforced perimeter, but one impossibly lucky shot from a missile launcher had obliterated the water purifier and collapsed the new well. He would have preferred that she'd stayed overnight to rest afterwards, but she was determined to come home. She literally dropped, unconscious, fully clothed, and covered in dirt, in the bed next to him in the small hours of the morning.

He set the tray down on her side table, taking a moment to just look at her.

He smiled as a wave of affection filled him. She was a mess; Sebastian was going to have his work cut out for him, washing the blankets and bed sheets. But even with dried mud in the fine creases on her face and crumbling off her vault suit, even with the dust competing with the gray strands streaking her hair, she was still so beautiful to him. 

However, dirt wouldn't make an appetizing addition to the food. He reluctantly tore his gaze away to head for the en-suite for a washcloth.

"Nora?" he said softly as he returned to her bedside, a little surprised that the running water hadn't awakened her. She must have been beyond tired. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, reaching out to lightly stroke a fingertip along a stripe of non-mud-caked skin at her jaw. "Nora, I made breakfast for you."

His smile broadened as she squirmed and scrunched her face, mind seeming to struggle against body to rouse herself. "That was adorable," he said a little louder when she finally blinked her eyes open. "Good morning, sweetheart."

She smiled back at the compliment, then frowned as she became more aware of her state. "Ugh, god, you let me come to bed like this?" she groaned, sitting up to look at herself. "I'm filthy."

"Still gorgeous to me."

She cocked an eyebrow at him as she took the cloth from him to wipe at her face and hands, a sparkle of laughter in her eyes. "Your 'country' is showing, my darling. Only a farm boy would find anything appealing about mud."

At one time, he would have felt self-conscious at anyone knowing his origins. He'd never even told Jack or the rest of the Cabots. City folk looked down on _country bumpkins_ as unsophisticated at best and stupid at worst. Nora never judged, though, and her open appreciation of his rustic skills made him feel proud of where he came from.

"You know the saying, 'You can take a boy out of the country' and all that," he chuckled as he stood again, bringing the tray around to set it across her lap. "Eat, and I'll go set up everything for a shower."

He attempted to lean down for a quick peck, but she surprised and nearly threw him off balance as she swiftly caught him between both hands, parting her lips to deepen it.

For all the years they'd been together, her kiss never failed to make his heart soar. 

Or his blood burn.

Pulling back slightly, she whispered, "I love you, Edward," against his ragged lips, and suddenly the bed was in danger of being further ruined with overturned eggs and cram.

He forced himself to calm down. There would be time for making love to her after he'd made sure she was fed and refreshed. Plenty of time.

Days and days.

Weeks, months, and years.

The rest of her life.

Straightening, he cupped her cheek. "I love you, too, Nora." And, with great effort, he let her go to head back into the en-suite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anything sweeter than an elderly couple still in love after all these years?
> 
> I didn't think so, either.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. 
> 
> Toss a kudos to your writer, oh archive of plenty?


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